Sexual Health & Treatment Services Winder GA

Birth control pills don’t protect you against STDs. Unprotected sex carries too many risks. Please always use condoms. Mistakes happen. Even if you are in a committed relationship it’s smart to get HIV tests at least once a year. Being sexually active comes with responsibilities and this is one of them. There’s nothing wrong with sexual health just be smart and protect yourself. Please scroll down for more information and access to the health care clinics in Winder, GA listed below.

Dealing with Condom Malfunctions

By Karen Keller

tested for HIV .

Planned Parenthood – If you need help and don’t want to speak to your doctor, call a non-profit such as Planned Parenthood. They can help with a range of issues from providing morning after pills to dealing with abortions and STDs.

So, the condom broke. Or, let’s get real: there was no condom handy and he was just too sexy to pass up. The next morning, sunlight filters through chintzy Venetian blinds, and you pry open your eyes. And then you really wake up.

Uhh. Did I really let him? When was my last period? Could I be pregnant? (Cue phantom labor cramps.)

What.

Do.

I.

Do?

Option 1 – Plan B

Plan B , the only morning-after medication sold in the U.S., is available over-the-counter for people 18 and over. It was FDA-approved to be made available without a prescription in August 2006. Score, federal government! It’s two pills – the first, taken immediately, the second, 12 hours later.

Pros

Plan B is more effective at preventing pregnancy than birth control pills. It’s also slightly cheaper ($10-$45) and therefore a better option for those of us either without health insurance, or still on our parent’s insurance. No health insurance bill means no paper trail for parents and boyfriends to find.

Cons

Option 2 – Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills are generally used before you get into a dicey situation, but it can also be used as an emergency contraceptive. You need to start within 120 hours after tthe "incident," but sooner is better. To see how many pills you need to take of different brands, refer to this Planned Parenthood page (scroll down a tiny bit). It’s usually two to five pills. A pack of pills costs $20-$50. Birth control pills still aren’t available over-the-counter, so this option doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you’ve already got them on hand.

Pros

Can be taken immediately, in the comfort of your own home (or shoebox apartment).

Cons

Slightly less effective (75%) than Plan B (89%). See Planned Parenthood’s page on Effectiveness . Also, more women experience nausea after taking birth control than do after taking Plan B.

Option 3 – Intrauterine Device

Get an intrauterine device inserted by a doctor. It’s a form of birth control – a piece of plastic that’s put up inside the uterus. Reduces risk of pregnancy if inserted within five days by 99.9 percent.

Pros

It’s the most effective morning-after method, and it gives you a larger time window to work with. A bonus: It’ll work as birth control for up to 12 years (you can always get it taken out if you want to get preggers).

Cons

It’s expensive, costing around $400 for the product ( Para-Guard is the most common brand), including doctor insertion.

The Final Word

Staying HIV Free

locate a testing center , or do it at home with Home Access . For accurate results, wait three months after your last "session" to test.

Postpone the big moan – While abstinence can be extremely difficult (especially if Tag Body Spray is involved), waiting until both partners have been tested before doing the deed is a smart move.

Treat other STDs – Studies indicate that having another STD (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea or Herpes) increases the chances of contracting HIV. Check other STD symptoms at CDC.gov and don’t hesitate to see a doctor if there are signs.

I’m no superman – Invincibility is reserved for comic book heroes and Clint Eastwood. HIV does not discriminate between race, class or shoe size—don’t be naïve.

Sure, Kanye said that you can live through anything if Magic made it, but that's no excuse to take unnecessary risks. Though Generation Y has been taught about HIV since grade school, 20-29 year olds accounted for nearly a quarter of HIV cases

diagnosed in 2005. Since it seems people were busy passing notes instead of taking them, we’ve outlined the pertinent information below.

Transmission

HIV is spread through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, and breast milk. It can’t be passed through contact with saliva, tears, sweat, urine, or feces or transmitted via insects.

There are three major routes of transmission:

Unprotected Sex – HIV can be contracted if contact is made with the genital, rectal, or oral mucous membranes of an infected individual. Infected fluid can enter the urethra or pass into the bloodstream through a cut or sore inside the body, on the man’s penis, or in the mouth. Anal sex is the riskiest proposition because the chance of tearing and bleeding is highest, but that doesn't mean that everything else is all gravy.

Blood or Blood Product – Intravenous drug users that share needles are at high risk for transmission. Those who undergo tattoo, piercing, or scarification techniques may also be at risk. So, if a nipple ring is a dire necessity, make sure to get it done in a safe and sterile environment.

Mother to Child – HIV can be passed in utero or through breast milk. Antiretroviral drugs along with Cesarean delivery can reduce the chance of transmission from 25 percent to 1 percent.

For more information on HIV transmission, click here .

Prevention

It may be hard to call a "timeout" in the throws of passion, but doing so could be a matter of life and death. Follow the rules of prevention below to avoid becoming a scary statistic.

Abstinence – Enough said.

Meet the Trojan Man – Though putting on a condom may kill the heat of the moment, HIV will kill the immune system. Proper and consistent use of latex or polyurethane condoms during vaginal, anal, and oral sex will greatly reduce the risk of contracting HIV. Avoid lambskin jimmy hats as they do not always prevent transmission; they have pores th...

Treating UTIs, Chlamydia, and the Clap

By Julie Fishman

Planned Parenthood to find a testing center near you.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) – Or "it burns like hell when I whiz." The infection is, unfortunately, a rather common STD that can cause serious complications if it spreads. Luckily it is easily remedied with antibiotics

Chlamydia – The most common STD reported in the United States. If untreated this disease could result in infertility in women and sterility in men. See a doctor if you experience abnormal, painful discharge from any orifice

The Clap – Another nasty STD that can cause sterility and spread to other parts of the body. Once again, be wary of unsightly discharges from the nether regions. If you get it, antibiotics are your best friend.

Don't ignore symptoms – Go to the doctor at the first sign of symptoms to avoid long term (possibly permanent) complications.

We’ve all been there before. Okay, maybe not everybody, but some of us. Not me though—I promise, honey. Anyway, the symptoms are simple: your normal comfy warm urine has been replaced with hellishly hot razor sharp shards of glass. Nothing helps

. You lick salt like a thoroughbred and spend hours in the gym sauna, but that nagging sensation passing from the kidney to the bladder is still there, presaging a pain that shouldn’t be in the one place you never ever want it.

The bad news: It may be a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), chlamydia, or gonorrhea.

The good news: If caught early enough, all three are easy to cure (if a shot to the penis can be defined as easy). Needless to say, using condoms can also solve a lot of issues before they even start (though women are still at risk for getting UTIs from intercourse). Also, note that if you're being treated for any of the “It Hurts When I Pee” conditions, abstain from all sexual contact to avoid reinfection. And now for the fun stuff...

Nothing Kills an Erection Like a Urinary Tract Infection.

Like breasts, UTIs are more common in women than men and account for 8.3 million doctor visits per year in the U.S. The infection is caused when tiny organisms, usually bacteria from the digestive tract, cling to the urethra and multiply like crazy.

Getting It

In men, an obstruction to urinary flow, such as a kidney stone (fun!) or enlarged prostate (funner!), is often to blame. Women often get it through intercourse with men (thanks guys!). Because a woman’s urethra is close to the vagina and anus, the penis can push bacteria living near the vagina inside during sex.

The Symptoms

Urinating produces a sensation more scorching than an overcooked Hot Pocket.

Needing to pee more frequently than Grandma Edna, but producing only dribbles.

Women: Oh-so-pleasant pubic bone pressure.

Men: Some unfriendly fullness near the rectum.

Possible Complications

Infections love to travel, and the body is their dream vacation hotspot. From the urethra or bladder, a UTI can spread to ...

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